Production media is used in manifold ways in industry, and waste has to be removed from them accordingly. This applies, for example, to coolants and abrasives, drilling and grinding oils which, for example, are used during the machining of materials on machine tools. After use, these fluid media must have waste removed from them, there frequently being production residues left in the medium, which should likewise be carried away.
For this purpose so-called open waste-removal channels or closed waste-removal pipes in the floor have been used, which are normally laid with an appropriate slope, and which terminate in a collecting tank likewise located at a lower level, which for this reason are usually located in the basement.
One disadvantage of this approach, however, is that such a waste-removal systems require a relatively great deal of space, since it is frequently necessary to place pipes or channels in the floor. Also, since at least only a flat slope is usually possible on most floors, a correspondingly low flow fluid media velocity results. This leads to dirt deposition by sedimentation, which is why additional measures, such as flushing nozzles or the like are necessary in order to clean the waste-removal channels or pipes.
In addition, when open channels are used there is a risk of an overflow, and when closed pipes are used they may be filled only up to approximately 50% as there must always be a corresponding air space available. A further disadvantage consists in the fact that during factory-internal changeovers in the building, problems may arise with the existing floor channels. Likewise, such floor channels typically cause a reduction in available production areas.